Chapter Eight: That's My Question Too, Jingo
So, this week went goodly like that.
Blake's anger for me has been lowering lately and he also talked to me about school last night but we were both careful not to slip anything about Jayden and either of us knew it so well.
Kate's hatred for me has increased by the time and now when I walk through the corridors or hallways or even outside the car parking, she shots me glare which I usually ignore every time because I know she wouldn't dare to harm me. Thanks to Blake.
I had to make up a pretence for Rosetta who appeared to doubt me the most because I am friends with her since the freshman year and besides no one cares about me that much except for her. And how stupid of me, I told her I was out because Kate wanted to talk to me in the ladies. So when I was too late for chemistry, I decided to slip the class for no reason. I was late for only three minutes, literally.
And for one week, Jayden didn't talk to me.
Not that I minded, but look at him! I helped him come home, I bet Jessi told her since he was too drunk to realize that. I'm not asking him to be nice with me but he can at least say a sorry! What kind of jackass does that? Hitler was probably better than him. Say, I did see him when I would walk to my classes or when I would open my locker but he doesn't make an effort even to look at me. Not much, but only a thanks perhaps? That would do.
So now I'm pretty much sure why most of the people labelled him the Bad Boy. He's a player. Stay away from him (goods only). He's always in the harms way. Don't let him get on your good side. He's a pervert. Save your body from him. He's a...
"Queen, you alright?"
I am currently standing next to my locker, possibly drowning into my thoughts and thinking about the next term that was only two or three weeks away and that's when he decides to burst in. I swivel my body around to him and immediately, something lunged upwards at my throat that caused my breath to stuck in my mouth.
In front of me, all I see is a guy with a brown leather jacket, a white top peeking out from there, his hazel hairs sticking out in different directions giving it a look of bed head and his hypnotic blue eyes staring straight at me, amusement written all over his stupid face. And a swollen lip.
Not like beaten lip. A swollen lip.
My face turned into a grimace when I realized what he probably did a few minutes ago. He cocked his eyebrows, a smirk tugging on his lip.
"Like what you're seeing? Oh, not so fast Queen. You'll have to wait to have me. I'm not that easy to get, you see."
Rolling my eyes at him, I huffed, exasperated at his pesky attitude. "No, I was just thinking if you had properly done your head this morning because it looks like a birds nest or if you were smashed with a girl against a locker this morning because if you do, I'll probably puke cause that's gross and for this your hair's literally looking like a dragon blew fire on it. Except for you didn't burn and I wish you would."
Jayden grinned widely as he tries to fix it, though the time wasn't worth it because it still went to the same way they were a few seconds ago.
I scowled. "Do you always have to thrash with a girl everyday early in the morning to burn my eyes? I mean that is totally disgusting! Who does that?"
"Me?"
"Well, that is a dumb comeback for your information."
He tugged at his hair, shrugged. "I don't care anyway."
"So what are you here for?"
"My sis told me what happened that day." He peek at his nails as though they were the most important thing not the world right now.
I glanced up at him. "Okay?"
"Look, I just wanted to say thanks to you. That's all."
I steadily read the guy with the brown leather jacket once again. His expression is not readable and still there were many things saying his eyes. He said thanks to me. And I appreciate it. His eyes looked up and locked with mine, and this time, I didn't scowl.
The sea blue orbs were blank and all I could see there was confusion. The knot in my throat grew more that at a point, I felt like I was being suffocated. I couldn't look away even if I tried, instead they forced me to stare at them even more.
The bell rang loudly that ringed my ear and caught me completely off guard. I flicked my eyes from his to my filthy locker and back to Jayden.
"Um, yeah. You're welcome."
The smile came back to their way as he waved and sprinted to his class his bangs flying behind from his forehead. I stood there for some moments, proceeding what just happened a while ago before turning and rushing to my class, probably somewhat being crazy cause the smile of my face was obvious that I was.
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"What did you just do?" I snapped to my best friend whose face was horrified in disappointment and her eyes red as chili powder. She finished to tell me that she had told Tyler about how she felt for a long time about him and ended up in the bathroom, where I found her almost bulging out her eyes, crying and didn't attend in our P.E class.
Rosetta sniffed loudly and again let out some sobs.
We're sitting down outside the school building cause it's now lunch time and that isn't a problem if we even ditch but that won't be necessary because we just did it about a week ago and she doesn't know it.
"How could I know that he would reject me like this?"
Slapping my forehead, I hissed. "I fucking told you not to do this!"
She sighed and wiped her tears using her shirts sleeve. "I should've listened to you."
"You should've told that a long time ago. My God, Rose! What were you thinking?"
She sobbed again and I patted her back. "Okay. Shush now. We'll... we'll think of something, alright?"
Tyler rejected her. She asked him out before our P.E class and he just did. I want to smack him in the head and tell him that Rosetta wasn't just a normal person and she was an awesome girl and he'll be lucky to have her but I couldn't.
And at the same time, I want to smack Rosetta too. She could take some time for confessing. But she was that impatient. I told her she would be rejected like a garbage bag.
That's the result.
"Rose. Get up. Come on." I stood up as she did too, her body now shaking by all the crying she had done.
We walked inside our school building, she, shaking uncontrollably and me, holding her by her forearm. I hate to see her like this.
Rosetta Swift is the only girl I've been friends with since my high school freshman year and I think she is the one person who understands me like an open book. She is a beautiful girl who can do far more better than staying with a failure like me.
The first day of my high school freshman year wasn't like what I exactly thought it would be. In fact, it was just the opposite. Rosetta was a new girl in our school and she was the first person in the new students who got all the attentions of the girls and most of the students- guys. I was in my usual attire: an black hoodie and Adidas sweat pants.
Sure, she never even noticed me until we kind of bumped into each other at the parking place that day. She was the first one to apologize and I did after, and from that incident we were good friends which led us here, best friends.
She had a crush on Tyler Ambrose since then and for one day, she couldn't stop talking about him. Of course she would attract any guys attention but the obstacle was me. She could easily walked away from me and throw herself at him but she didn't. Only because of me. Only because of me, she didn't and if she did that day, I would be still the unpopular brat I was: a failure. And here we are, three years of friendship and now she's crying her ass of for that Ambrose.
That's unfair.
She deserves better. Tyler don't know what he did. He had let go a beautiful and kind hearted girl he would be in trouble finding. He doesn't even know it.
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"You okay?"
I was sitting on the railing of our school's rooftop, dangling my legs on the other side of them and slightly rocking it back and forth, thinking what would've happened if Tyler accepted Rosetta's proposal, the diary in which I draw my dresses everyday on my lap.
School has ended like half an hour ago. Rosetta wanted to stay with me but I told her to go home cause I had something to think about and she was looking really broken.
It was nothing actually.
Just an alibi to avoid Blake. If I go home early, Blake will be there (with a girl perhaps) and I hate this weird awkwardness between us that has been going on since that day.
Call it sibling war.
And now out of nowhere, this guy has to come up and interfere in my thoughts, more like, the design of a dress I was thinking, got scrambled.
I don't look behind to see who it was. I didn't need to. This is the second time of the day he's asking me this. I scratched the hip of my dress and a grimace grew in my face.
"Queen, I said are you okay?"
Third time.
"Is there something you wanna tell me?"
I asked him a bit irritated of his nosy attitude. I can feel him frown until someone sat on the railing beside me.
"You're not yourself. What happened?"
I slapped my diary off with extra potency and attempted to stood up. At least I thought I did unless he didn't grab my hand and forced me to sat down again in the same spot.
Trying to roll my eyes from my side, I gave up, and sighed frustratingly.
"I'm serious, Flynn. What do you want?"
Jayden cracked his knuckles and irksome sound ringed my eyes painfully. I hated that sound even though I didn't know why.
"Why are you here?"
"Where are all this questions coming from?"
"Logically, my mouth?"
I deadpan. "That was stupid."
He grinned ear to ear at my words. "Now tell me, Queen. What's up with you?"
Sighing dramatically, I involuntarily opened my mouth but truly, I don't know what to say to him as I closed it again like a goldfish.
"There is more than one thing running inside my head right now. What to say?"
He doesn't say anything instead of that, he swings his legs in unison with me what I didn't know was rocking. Before he could say anything, I start, the speeches rolling out of my lips almost automatically.
"There's Blake, he's angry for me because I had spent too much time with you and God knows why he doesn't like it. He haven't been properly talking to me like one week. Then there is Rosetta. Her crush, that Tyler guy, rejected her and she is entirely broke. And term exam is coming too. And I'm gonna fail again even I don't want it."
Jayden stayed silent. "What about Blake?"
I glanced up at him. "What about him?"
"You said he isn't talking to you for me because you spent too much time with me and he doesn't like it. Why?"
Smiling feebly, I focused my eyes on the horizon where the sun was about to sink, the sky now turning splotch of red, blue and many other colours.
"He's always been like this. You know older brother basis. My whole family thinks I'm a... I dunno..."
I breathed a little shakily. "Weirdo? Who can't be seen with strangers?"
He still stayed utterly quiet until I heard him saying. "Yeah they thinks right."
I hit his arms and he chuckles, scooting away from me. Glaring at him, I again turned back to the sky. Jayden growled, amused. "You ever heard of gorilla?"
Twitching my lips, I hooked my legs between the railing. "Of course. One is sitting beside me."
"Yeah right. Whatever."
"You're admitting yourself as a gorilla? Shame, bad boy."
Jayden's head snapped towards me that I almost frowned. "What did you just call me?"
I curled my eyebrows. "Bad boy?"
His mouth kept hung open and then I heard him laughing almost breathlessly as if he's confused what he's doing or saying. "Bad boy?"
Looking upwards at the sky, I nodded, smiling. "Yes. Bad boy."
"Queen, I'm not..."
Jayden stops. I stared at him blankly from my side, waiting for his answer. He looked so distracted of my statement as he laughed breathlessly (again), seeming a little lost.
"What do you mean by bad boy?"
Thinking for a moment, I snapped my finger. "Yes. You're a...playboy guy. You stay with a random girl all the time. I don't know if you did any crime or have any criminal records. There are rumors that you once beat up a teach in middle school because he scolded that you didn't bring your homework. He didn't last one day after that in your school. I don't know if it's true or not. And no, I still haven't heard you raped someone. Then I heard some girl saying one day that you tried to drive a car, almost drunken. And I also heard from Rosetta that you practice boxing since you were four. That's pretty much it."
Whether it was my imagination or not, I saw his eyes darkened. Again it looked like an octopus has spreaded ink in those blue eyes.
And then he cackled a laugh.
"And do you believe these are true?"
I shrugged. "I don't believe in rumors that much. But I think most of them are."
I had feeling the thing was bothering him, watching his reaction to the subject so I said, "Hey you know? This doesn't matter. I don't care anyway."
"It was seven not four."
"What?"
"I'm practicing boxing ever since I was seven. Not four."
Here that Jayden comes back again. He grinned extensively. Kicking his foot lightly with mine, I swing my legs insanely again when his eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh my God, what are you doing?"
I jerked my shoulders lazily. "Passing time. I don't play footsie."
His expression screamed all the way bewilderment. "How?"
My face twitched. "I kick your foot, you kick my foot, footsie is that innit? I kicked your foot, so it's kinda predictable that you'll do too, so I'm just saying we don't have to continue moreover I don't play it either way."
Jayden scowled. "What are you talking about? Are you out of your mind?"
"Apparently, no. But that's a complicated matter that if I'm out of my mind or not, but that doesn't matter cause I know what I'm talking about."
He pursed his lips and mumbled. "This doesn't make any sense. What am I doing here with you?"
Snapping my finger, I turned to him. "That's my question too, Jingo. What are you doing here?"
He scoffed.
"Jingo? Where'd you get that?"
I tapped the side of my head. "Here."
"And someone fails in exams."
My hands find its way to my chest as I clutched it and quirk my lips downward. "And someone is hurt."
"Yeah yeah."
We again rocked our legs in unison slowly, staring back at the now-soon-to-be setting sun, the hot air now disappearing into slow cool breeze where it'll be almost impossible to stay any longer if time passes by. It was all good until-
"Why you fail in exams, Queen?"
Out of the blue, he suddenly asks me. I chewed inside my cheek, a heat creeping up to my neck from my cheeks in shame.
"You know, you don't need to be embarrassed. I was just asking. If you don't want to answer, I won't push you."
"No it's okay," I said. I don't want him to know that I'm ashamed about talking of this things. I just don't want to. "I...I don't know. That's... I just can't focus on something, my mind flies to something else."
"Like what?"
I shrugged. "I don't know, I like drawing...dresses."
I wrapped my arms around my body to save it from the cold when the air went more colder. Jayden pointed his chin to my diary.
"This is where you design them?"
I smiled smally. "Most of them are incomplete."
He shrugs. "Alright."
"You didn't answer me."
"What about?"
"Why are you here?"
That was the first time I noticed him not wearing the leather jacket he was in the morning, instead there's a red and black check shirt on the top of his same white top catching my eyes.
"I didn't expect to see you when I came."
"You're avoiding my question."
"Fine." He groaned. "I came here to smoke okay?"
I blinked. Several times. He smokes?
Jayden scratch the back of his neck and sighed. "Yeah. It helps me to get rid of tensions and stress."
Guess I did it again.
"B-but..." I trailed off. I really didn't know what to say. "But why?"
Jayden bite his bottom lip and focused his eyes on the sky which was now turning blood red and deep orange. "I just do, okay? No big deal."
"It is a big deal!"
He suddenly turns to me, his eyes hooded and dark in seriousness. "Why do you care?" His teeth bared and I started to feel scared all of a sudden. "I had it all fine until you! Tell me Evelyn, do you care?"
I froze. He didn't call me by my name, did he? It's the first time he did it after we met and it's already scaring the hell out of me. Why do I have to feel this way? That's my name, he's supposed to call me by it, but why do I feeling it's horribly wrong? Why do I feel like he has to call me by Queen?
My chest felt heavy.
Why? He's not anything to me, anyways.
"I don't care, Jayden. I don't care what you do."
He looked like he just landed on reality and his eyes widened. "Queen, it's not..."
"Don't."
He sighed. "Look please..."
I held up my hand. "I won't force you to stop if you..."
"I'm not addicted!"
Jayden's voice boomed in the place. I bite inside my cheek. Something didn't feel right. Something. His voice cracked in the edge.
"I don't- I don't do it everyday, okay?"
I nodded, understanding. "Okay. Mind if I ask why?"
He thought for a second, the tensions slowly draining from his face. "Yes."
I rolled my eyes. "Fine."
The silence again screamed in the atmosphere but it was good. Not the awkward kind of silence when you have when you argue with someone for a sensitive issue. It was comfortable.
And I didn't even know that I was far too late to go home, because of the guy beside me and my mind didn't bother telling me that mom could be home by now any minute.
After what seemed like an hour of gossiping about useless things, I checked my watch. "Damn it's late." I turned to Jayden. "We should go."
I waited for him to land on the ground and when he does, we started to walk towards the gate when I felt he wasn't walking with me anymore.
"What the..."
"Hey, Queen?"
I turned around at him to catch a glimpse of his face in the dark. "Huh?"
He grinned. In the dark, it didn't look too real. "Remember what you told me about the bad boy shit?"
I nodded cheerily. "Yep. Why, does it hurt your ego?"
"I can be a lot other things, Queen," he said, walking up next to me again. "But me a bad boy?" Jayden laughed. "Heck no."
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever floats your boat."
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